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Is It Worth Using A Private Investigator? Know What They Can Do For You

21 September 2021

Arthur Young

Are you in a situation where you need someone to do some undercover investigating for you? If so, you may be a bit confused about what private investigators can actually do in order to determine if their services are worth using. Here are a few of the ways that they work within the law. 

Private Investigators Are No More Powerful Than You Under The Law

If your hope of hiring a private investigator is because you feel like they are going to be able to do things that you can't, such as gain entry to someone else's property, then you would be wrong. Under the law, a private investigator has no more rights than you do. They cannot illegally enter a property to get information on another person, and they cannot get a search warrant as a police officer can. They can essentially do all of the same things that you can, and you are not paying them for the ability to get around certain laws. 

Private Investigators Work In Public Places

Since a private investigator cannot enter a private residence, this means that they are limited to investigating someone in public places. They are allowed to record activities that are done in a public setting as long as they are not trespassing, assaulting, or threatening anyone. 

Private Investigators Cannot Arrest Anyone

If a private investigator does discover someone performing a crime, they are not allowed to arrest that person and stop the crime from happening. Many people are misled by thinking that private investigators can perform a citizen arrest, but they must follow citizen's arrest laws when doing so. Not every state has these laws, and there can be complications when making a citizen's arrest because of this. 

Private Investigators May Have Better Access To Public Records 

One way that a public investigator may have an advantage over you doing the investigating yourself is by having access to databases with public records. This can be incredibly helpful when researching a person since they can get the job done faster than you would likely be able to on your own. While all the information is out there due to being on public record, finding it can often be the hardest part. 

Private Investigators Can Serve Legal Documents

When the time comes and you want to take legal action against the person you are investigating, know that a private investigator is capable of serving legal documents to that person. They are considered a neutral party and can be the person that witnesses the acceptance of the documents. 

For more information, contact a local private investigator service, such as Gary Litton Investigators.

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